Feed for powder in automatic packaging machines



Apr. 24, 1923.

B. F. ADAMS I FEED FOR POWDER IN AUTOMATIC PACKAGING MACHINES Filed Dec. '7, 1920 'VVU Q/W OZ I W a afl awe anew by the container. causes the constituents through the air from the plate into the concompacts the material at tainer, there being no means of minimizing the extent of this fall norof varying it for containers of different heights. In the second type of feed which isoften employed the powder is conveyed from the machine hopper through a horizontal passage in which may be mounted a screw or other type of conveyor. Constant agitation of the material to insure its continuous movement into. such horizontal passage is necessary and a horizontal conveyor acting on the material received in the horizontal passage different points along its length into different densities, the

density at the place of discharge, of course,

being the least. This compacting tends to cause clogging and an irregular flow. Again, the fall of the powder. from the point of discharge into the container is through a distance which cannot be proend of the hopper a.

portioned to the height of the container and is usually so great as to cause additional aeration. In accordance with the present invention, the feed of the powder is always in a vertical direction from the hopper a into the container 0, is always continuous I and uniform, and, being in such an unbroken stream, the powder retains its samedensity. In accomplishing the result a feedcasing 6, formed at its upper end as a funnel e, is secured, as by means of a split clamp 6 to a circular flange a formed at the lower WVithin the feed casing 6 is mounted a vertical auger f which extends from a point within the funnel section 6 preferably-below the lower discharge end of the casing e. The upper end of the auger fis connected detacha-bly with a vertical drive shaft 9 which may have in its lower end a transverse slot 9 to receive a pin f at the upper end of the auger f. In order to prevent clogging of the powder at points somewhat remote from the auger f and in the funnel section 6'. of the casing 6. there is mounted on the auger f a knife f which may pass around on the inner wall of the funnel section 6 when the auger f ro-- tates so as constantly to scrape the powder on the walls of the casing and prevent its clogging in that section. The powder in the funnel section cf, of course, rests on the upper surface of the spirals of the. worm.

eXtendi-nginto such section and when the I anger is rotated the powder finds its way partly under the action of gravity and partly under the confinement of adjacent spirals ofjthe worm to lowerlevelsin the casing 6.

The machine hopper a will, in any machine, always be at a fixed distance from the platform scale (Z. It would obviously not be practical to change this distance without great expense. In the improved machine the lower end of the hopper a-is formed with a depending flange a to which can be clamped the upper end of the casing c. This casing e is of alength dependent upon the height of the container 0 so as to provide for the discharge of the powder from the casing e directly into the mouth of the container.

The underlying object of the invention is to effect the transfer of .powder in a continuous stream from this hopper a into thecontainer 0 without interrupting the stream.

powder within th container at the known.

density of such powder, thereby permitting the container to be made definitely of min imum volume for a given weight, but itpre- 'cludes the possibility of unmixing or re-' arranging the constituents so' as to change the powder from a homogenous miX into a stratified mass. In operation, when the container 0 is in place, the shaft 9 will rotate the auger f. The powder passing into the funnel section e of the casing e will'move downwardly of the auger discharge where it will drop directly into the mouth of the container. No agitation of the powder, as such, is resorted to. The knife 7 constantly movesin the mass of powder and prevents its clogging and facili tates its free flow. thepowder are permitted atany points, so that aeration is avoided. The powder at the lower end of the casing e is of exactly the same density as thepowder within the No extended drops of hopper a, the cross section of it not having at the same density as that in the hopper.

The results flowing directly from the pro- By adapting vision of a fee'd'which absolutely prevents unmixing will be appreciated w1thout further statement.

The advantages derived from preventing aeration are of great importance to the manufacturer as wellas to the user. The capacity of any known ma chine will be practicallydoubled;. There will not be a primary and secondary fill since a primary fill finds the powder deposited in the container with its normal denin the casing along the blades 7 until it reaches the point of sitv. The container receives a predetermined weight of powder at this density and acting on the platform scaled results in conveying of the can to'the compressor mechanism for capping. The mechanical devices heretofore of feeds gives a flexibilityand insures the,

necessary for compacting the powder after the primary fill are eliminated and duplicate mechanism for effecting the secondary fill is avoided. The cost of the machine is thereby materially lowered, its efficiency greatly increased by the simplification, a substantial amount of time saved and the volume of the container for a predetermined weight more accurately established. The adaptability of the machine for containers of varying heights by the mere interchange maintenance of all of the advantages described herein. In feeds heretofore emtion or aeration whereby the mix and den-* sity of the powder are unchanged, comprising a drive shaft extending down into the hopper, a vertical feed casing of substantial length at the lower end of the hopper, an

auger feed mounted in said feed casing and detachably engaging with the said drive shaft, and .means fordetachably securing the feed casing to the" lower end of the hopper, whereby th auger feed and feed casing may be changed at will according to the height of the package beingfilled.

2. Anapparatus for transferring powder from a hopper to a package with no .agita tion or aeration whereby the mix and density of the powder are unchanged, comprising a drive shaft extending down into the hopper, a vertical feed casing of substantial. i

length at the lower end of the hopper, an

auger feed mounted in said feed casing and detachably engaging with the said drive shaft, a knife carried by saidauger feed, and means for detachably securing the feed casing to the lower end'of the 'hopper the feed casing,auger feed and knife Ibeing change able at will from below, according to the height of the container being filled.-

-This specification signed this 3d day of December, A. D. 1920..

BENJAMIN F. ADAMS. 

